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Empire: Noble Houses
The leadership of the Cult Empire consists of several noble Houses, split into High Nobility and Lower Nobility. High Nobility are rulers and enforcers, acting as liege lords over parts of the Kingdom, and as bannermen to their Sovereign. Lower Nobility are more numerous, and have more varied roles in society. Regardless of their status, all nobles have a House, and said House is often a source of pride. The legacy and honor of a House tend to be more important than the deeds of an individual within a House, unless the individual is absolutely extraordinary in some way or another. Creation of a House The high nobility descend from the original rulers of the Ironblood - the siblings Istmael and Sibryn, although most lines trace themselves back to both due to the unavoidable linebreeding over time. The Houses of high nobility were, for the most part, created ages ago, and since it is impossible for an outsider to ever rise into high nobility, the number of Houses has remained fairly stable for the past hundreds of years. New ones have only been created during the aftermaths of great conquests - when a new House was felt necessary to rule the area. Creation of new provinces splits the Empire into more manageable sized units for governance, and as such, any major land additions will usually create a new High House. During such times, a particularly well liked baron of great prowess has usually been chosen from one of the cadet branches to create an entirely new house. Such process is, naturally, somewhat artificial, but it has served the cultists well. For lower nobility, birth of new Houses is a much more common affair, with every Sovereign creating at least one or two new Houses. As such, the noble Houses vary greatly from one another in age, wealth and prestige. When a commoner or a knight is granted hereditary nobility, or a cadet branch is made into their own House, they must choose and officialize the following, which are then stored in the Royal Archieves: *House sigil in the form of heraldry. The new heraldry may not too closely resemble that of any existing House *The name of the House *A list of those who belong to the new House, and their individual titles, if any *A list of landholdings, if any Only after the House has an official heraldry and a name, does it legally exist. This is important in cases where the appointed head of the House dies before they send the information to the Archieves, as it annulls their title. Inheritance Cultists practice equal inheritance with primogeniture (right of the firstborn) as the norm, which can however be deviated from for any reason, should the head of the House feel it necessary. This means, in practice, that male and female lines of a noble House are equally valid and powerful. This extends to the inheritance of nobility and House itself. As a rule, the more important parent of a noble child will always determine their House, as long as the parents are married that is. This means that in a marriage of a high and lower nobility member, all their children would be considered high nobility. Likewise, the children of a lower nobility member and a commoner would all be a part of lower nobility. In cases where both parents are equal, ie both high nobility, the children gain the House of the parent who is higher in their order of primogeniture, unless agreed otherwise by both Houses. This system is used to guarantee that Houses get enough heirs to make their name live on. Should the head of a House strike someone from their House, that person can petition to become a part of the House of their other parent, should they also be a noble. If they are striken by the Sovereign themselves however, such petition is not possible, as this expunges them from nobility entirely. Noble Bastards Noble bastards are an exception to common rules of inheritance and primogeniture. They are completely outside the regular line of succession, and do not automatically inherit the House of their parent, even if their mother is a noble. In fact, they are not even considered true nobility, as their mere existence is a stain on the honor of the House that created them. Most bastards live in shadows, shamed and unwanted, working for their trueborn siblings, or sometimes completely exiled. They are not permitted to use the name of their parents House, nor are they permitted to wear their heraldry. It is possible for a bastard to be legalized, but this is rare due to the stigma carried by all bastards. Bastards are generally only legitimized if they commit great acts of valor, or they are the only remaining possible heir of the House. Legitimization of a bastard demands the authorization of the Sovereign. Should a bastard be legitimized, they are placed last in the order of inheritance, meaning a bastard will never inherit over a trueborn. Individual Houses A noble House may have as many or as few members as their luck and fertility permits. Some Houses are known for distinct traits or abilities - others are less remarkable, but not any less proud. High Noble Houses * Family 1 * Family 2 * Family 3 * Family 4 * Family 5 * Selinveil, of the Veil * Family 7 * Family 8 Lower Noble Houses A lot of them Notable Extinct Houses Also a lotCategory:The Empire